My Favourite Artists: Frank Turner

Hello!

This is the first blog in the series called 'My Favourite Artist'. These blogs will be looking at people who I really enjoy listening to, the advantages and disadvantages of the artist and the best tracks they have to offer. Also a little warning too... there is some use of offensive language in this blog. This will be a very long (and I mean it) blog, but I hope you'll all stay till the end as I'll put up some videos for you to go listen to some of his best work.

So, what better way to start this series off than looking at this artist who is easily in my top 3. Mr Frank Turner. 

He is a folk/punk singer-songwriter from Hampshire, UK and his lyric writing is a talent that most songwriters would die to have. I am a massive fan of speaking from the heart and writing down lyrics that really mean something to you. Every one of his songs have been from past experiences or tell a very true tale in life. I'd like to start off with some example of his lyrics just so you understand where I'm coming from before I start rambling. 

"I Knew Prufrock Before He Became Famous": 

"Well life is about love, lost minutes and lost evenings, 
About fire in our bellies and about furtive little feelings, 
And the aching amplitudes that set our needles all a-flickering, 
And they help us with remembering that the only thing that’s left to do is live..."

"Love Ire & Song": (My personal favourite song)

"Well it was bad enough the feeling, the first time it hit, 
When you realised your parents had let the world all go to shit, 
And that the values and ideals for which many had fought and died,
Had been killed off in the committees and left to die by the wayside,
But it was worse when we turned to the kids on the left, 
And got let down again by some poor excuse for protest, 
Yeah by idiot fucking hippies in 50 different factions, 
Who are locked inside some kind of 60's battle re-enactment..."

"Redemption":

Well I tried so hard to not turn into my father, 
But if I only ever skip out his choices will I ever choose better? 
Oh the sad truth is the grass, it will always seem greener, 
So I left you alone in a restaurant in London in winter, 
You deserved better..."

"Peggy Sang The Blues":

"It doesn't matter where you come from, 
It matters where you go, 
No one gets remembered, 
For the things they didn't do..."

"Substitute":

"And if music was the food of love
Then I'd be a fat romantic slob
Well music, it's my substitute for love"

Hopefully you get my point now why I believe he is such a fantastic writer. Apologies for the large amounts of examples, its hard to get all the best lyrics into a small section. Believe me it was more difficult than I imagined!

So, above are some examples of his lyrics. I spoke to one of my BIMM tutors about him as he is a massive Bob Dylan fan and he believes that Frank Turner is the young generation version of him. Let me explain what he told me. Bob Dylan wasn't afraid to speak his mind, write down how he felt and this shocked a lot of people. Which inevitably got him to be one of the most successful and popular singer-songwriters to date. Although some of his songs were on the borderline, including one about a famous murder and the details of what happened, this type of writing hasn't been apart of songs since. 

Well, not since I discovered Frank Turner. Some of his writing has shocked me personally and its a good feeling. One song he wrote called "Glory Hallelujah" , he was basically saying that there is no God, go and be free everyone. The chorus of that song goes;

"There is no God

So clap your hands together

There is no God

So ring that victory bell"

When I first heard the song I thought 'woah.. woah... woah, he can't sing this, its offensive'! Then when my tutor at BIMM told me about how Bob Dylan's song writing was much worse to the point people wanted to kill him, it made me see how spiritually free Frank Turner is. The fact he doesn't give a shit about flipping the finger to Christianity is a bold and brave move. I'm surprised his record label Xtra Mile gave him permission to put that on his record!

Not only is his songwriting to a high standard, he also put together a band that can produce some beautiful music. The band are called 'The Sleeping Souls' and they're a four piece band that know how to put on a show! Along with Frank Turner's energetic stage presence, these four add to the energy and will make you dance your socks off!

All four members are extremely talented with a feeling of brotherhood between them and Frank. The cliché roll of a singer/songwriter is to get a band together and it be very much I'm the singer, you're the band and that's it. With these guys its completely different, its Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls, although separate names, they are all very close. 

Now... to be a good musician, half of it is talent and half of it is to be a performer. Now this guy is definitely  a performer! If you search into Youtube and look up any performance he has done, he makes everybody dance in the venue, even if you're up the top he knows if you're dancing or not! Its incredible to watch! I hope one day I can be part of this massive party. Yes I haven't seen him before, but this won't be for long!!!

I think the one thing that I can think off the top of my head that is a criticism, although this was only when I first heard him. His voice can sometimes be a bit off key and when I first heard his voice I wasn't at all convinced. Now though, I love his natural voice, no tampering, no auto-tune and he really does stretch his voice to the very limit at times! 

Anyway...I feel like I've rambled on enough! This guy is definitely one to check out! His lyrics are bar none the best I've heard for a very long time! 


Thank you so much for reading till now, I apologise for the length but don't say I didn't warn you!

Until next time! 

Lewis :)

Some examples and links for you lovely people:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/frankturnermusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrankTurner

Website: http://frank-turner.com/